Padma Shri award a pleasant surprise - Raj

Surprised at being selected for the Padma Shri, India Women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj says she was not expecting the prestigious honour with some men's team superstars also in the race.

"Honestly when I was pitted against Virat Kohli, I gave up because when you compare us with men's cricket then we think that we may not get it. So I was not expecting it, but it came as a pleasant surprise," Raj told PTI from her Hyderabad home.

A veteran of 153 ODIs, 10 Tests and 47 T20 internationals since her debut in 1999, Raj, 32, believes that the Padma Shri will certainly help the cause of Indian women's cricket.

"It (the national awards) is a nice way of appreciating your efforts, because at a time when I started playing cricket, there was no awareness of women's cricket. People did not even know that women's cricket existed. And from that phase to today where people would want to follow women's cricket, I think we have come a long way," Raj said.

"These awards will really prop up the young girls and players to take up the sport and do much better. With this award probably people will follow women's cricket keenly and will take a note of the international women's calendar," she added.